Heroes come and Heroes go, but one thing always remains the same.
Healers have to pick them up along the way.
This Book is designed so that the weird and wonderful ailments these would-be heroes pick up can be quickly and simply dealt with, with the minimum fuss and hard-to-remove bloodstains.
The only trick is how to get to the fallen without getting beaten up yourselves. That is another subject altogether, and one I'm going to leave for those with a greater talent for such things than I.
One thing (almost) all Erdrejans have in common is that we have a Pattern. Our innermost self that is intrinsically linked to the great Wheel of Life, and that part of us which binds us together and keeps us alive. During our lifetimes, this Pattern will be battered, torn, corrupted and generally mistreated. It is the job of the Healer to ensure it gets the restorative treatment it needs throughout this.
Anyone with a link to the Planes of Life and Light and the right training can Channel this power to fix a 'normal' Pattern. Some people have Patterns that require further training to Heal and are often referred to as 'Alien'. These are explained in detail later.
This booklet is designed to help you recognise the most common forms of damage to a pattern, what may cause them, and how to fix it.
Just make sure whatever did it is far enough away that it doesn't get you too. Remember:
If you go down, who Heals the Healer?
These are interesting and really quite unusual Patterns. It takes a lot of study and training to be able to properly Heal these. Such training requires the resources of the Healers Guild or very skilled faction healer.
Higher level Incantation 'full' cures are usually effective on such patients, as are bandages, so yelling for an Incantor or physician is often a good idea.
In the event that you find yourself unable to Heal someone of their wounds normally, it may be that you have an 'Alien' or 'Aberrant' patient. These types of Pattern are more commonly found in Extra-planar creatures, those who have been tainted in a Ritual circle, or the occasional really odd person.
Type: These are the most common wounds, the ones received from most normal weapons and some spells. The spells include Mage Bolt, and the Dark Incantations, which cause Harm and minor Wounds. Some bone-crushing blows delivered by creatures of great strength do basic wounds on a larger scale.
Appearance: Depending on what struck the blow, they will generally look like a bloodied mangled mess. The wounds should however look clean. If the wounds are severe enough, patients can bleed to death if left for too long, so speed and efficiency are good practice.
Treatment: If you can Channel, simply concentrating for a length of time and chanting will Heal the wounds. Unless specially trained, it will require more power and extra concentration to Heal other parts of the body.
Use 1 Power Card per location, and 10 seconds of chanting per point of damage being healed. The Vocal must include in some way the words 'By the Power of Life' and 'I heal this wound'
These techniques will only work on Basic wounds, but are invaluable if there are no people capable of Channelling around.
Trained Physicians can stop a wound on any part of the body from bleeding, and stabilise them. Given a day's bed rest, the patient will then recover and wake up. They can also spot if something further ails the patient.
Those trained in the art of binding wounds can stop bleeding from limbs. This form of training does not include the ability to stem the more dangerous head or chest wounds, nor does it teach how to spot any deeper damage such as poisoning or other ailments .
Even if you can't do these things, carrying bandages is a good idea as the person who finds you bleeding on the floor might just be able to use them.
Bind wounds can only be done on arms and legs. You can only call 'Detect mortal wounds'
Type: There are many different types of poison, which vary in speed of effect (seconds to hours) and in means of delivery. The most common are Ingested, Gaseous and Contact. The rarest - the Balrog in a Bottle - is incurable and tears apart the Pattern of the victim within a minute.
Appearance: Usually, the patient will either be in pain or difficulty once the poison has started working and is properly in their system. Visually there are rarely obvious signs but a skilled healer can determine the presence of a poison in a patient with examination.
Treatment: It is very important to find out how the poison was taken. Contact venoms need little power from a Healer or Enchanter to cure them. For any internal poisons (gas, food, drink etc), you must purge ALL poisons from their systems. Only Healing can do this. Both forms will require concentration.
Additional notes by Doktor Tesla
If you have no way of knowing, Purge All Poisons as most poisons are very time critical. If you can't Purge All Poisons, do a standard Purge Poisons and then check them immediately afterwards. If they are still poisoned call for assistance.
1 card to instantly Purge Poisons (contact only).
2 cards to instantly Purge All Poisons.
Vocals must include 'By the Power of Life' and 'I Purge/Purge All poisons'
Enchanters can Purge Poisons (lvl 1) (contact only),
Type: This does not refer to natural sickness (like colds and fevers) but to the Unnatural Disease such as those carried by some Unliving, minor Plague Demons and other unclean creatures.
Appearance: Early on, there are few symptoms. Once it progresses the disease may show up as boils, rotting flesh, scabbing, it varies with the disease. The common feature is that diseases interfere with natural healing, and wounds will not close until the disease itself is removed. Most diseases are not contagious and can only be caught from the creature that carries it.
Treatment: Once the disease is discovered, if it is a simple one it will require a minimum of power and a short period of concentration to Heal. Light Incantors also have the ability to heal these with a lower power Incantation.
Vocals must include 'By the Power of Life' and 'I remove Disease from this body'
Light Incantors can Remove Disease (lvl 1).
Type: This is an incredibly dangerous form of Unnatural Disease. It starts destroying flesh rapidly and requires Immediate attention. It is usually only caused by Unliving Mummies and Major Plague Demons.
Appearance: The blow that caused the wound will instantly start to rot. Boils and pustules will form, and start oozing infected slime. It is a death sentence unless immediate action is taken.
Treatment: Before the damage is dealt with, the Decay must be removed. Only then can you start to Heal the damage caused. The Decay must be rooted out and the body free from its effects before any other Channelling will have any effect. It must be dealt with quickly - it will rot the body from within much quicker than they would naturally bleed to death.
Vocals must include 'By the Power of Life' and 'I remove Decay from this body'
Light Incantors can Remove Decay (lvl 2).
Type: This effect is often the result of an unliving Ghoul's attack. It can also be caused by other creatures or certain venoms, and affects the body.
Appearance: Whatever the cause, the effect is the same. The victim is held totally immobile usually for about a minute. Wounds will still bleed though, and the victim should be checked and treated as required.
Treatment: Usually the venom will wear off without further harm coming to the patient. However, if an immediate remedy is needed then a small amount of power and a second's concentration will free them.
If the paralysis is from a poison, then usually purging the poison from their system will free them.
This does NOT heal any damage caused.
This does NOT work on Halt or Freeze.
Vocals must include 'By the Power of Life' and 'I remove Paralysis from this body'
Type: This is a Pattern-affecting type of curse, traditionally inflicted by a Medusa or Basilisk.
Appearance: The victim is immediately rendered immobile as their flesh starts to turn to stone. They will usually feel quite cold to the touch, and their pattern will feel oddly corrupted when checked by someone skilled enough. This condition MUST be treated swiftly, as it can require a lot of power to fix and the chances of misjudging can be high. Also, Sanctuary does not work, so treatment time is very limited.
Treatment: The most effective way of curing a Petrification found so far, is to cast a countermagic at the victim for every full or part minute they have been affected. Then the root of the corruption must be healed from within their chest. If you do not know how long they have been petrified, if you don't use enough counter-magics then the whole cure will fail.
Healers use 2 Power Cards and 10 seconds of chanting. The Vocal must include in some way the words 'By the Power of Life' and 'I heal this Fatal wound'
Type: Pattern corruption usually follows the touch of certain Unliving, Necromancers, and some demons. Certain weapons are known to cause it as well.
Appearance: 'Fatal' wounds (as they are referred to as) will not bleed if inflicted by gentle touch. In fact, there may be no sign of damage at all and only Healers can tell what is wrong. If struck by a weapon then the wounds tend to be vicious and corrupt. These wounds will kill in about ten minutes as the victims Pattern unravels from within.
Treatment: The Pattern-Corrupting nature of these wounds will stop any other damage caused by the blow being healed properly, and so must be fixed before the bleeding can be stopped. Only once the internal damage is fixed can the external wound be dealt with.
Type: Some creatures are just too horrible to stand being near. Some things, like the wail of a Banshee, are so horrifying that they will send even the bravest warriors running for a hiding place. However, not many realise that Healers can cure this, and many other mind effects, too.
Appearance: Depending on what they are running from, most people will have expressions of fright written across their faces. It's often best to run from these things. They are that scary for a reason. Other effects vary in appearance depending on the cause.
Treatment: If it is necessary, power can be expended to remove the effects of Fear from a person (say, to stop them running off a cliff). It only takes a second's concentration, and renders the recipient immune to the fearsome effects for about ten seconds. With a little more power, a trained Healer can remove all that is currently affecting the mind of a patient with a touch.
2 Cards removes all mind effects currently affecting the target (with the exception of Beguile), effect is instant. Vocals must include 'By the Power of Life' and 'I free your mind' (lvl 2)
Type: Healing Herbs come in many different types, but most will do one of three things. They can cure wounds, cure diseases and remove the effects of poisons from a body. Other than learning which does which, no Arcane power is required to utilise Herbs, making them and those trained to use them invaluable in many situations.
Appearance: Herbs range in appearance from small pretty flowers, to seaweed and bits of bark. Only training will teach how to determine any one herb's properties.
Treatment: Apply the herb to the wound or afflicted limb. It doesn't take any longer than channelling to cure the affliction, and is usually just as effective.
Under a Ritual of Peace, most damage will not break the skin. After ten minutes you will wake up feeling debilitated, then ten minutes later you will be fully healed. However, some things will break through it. The following is a list of things that are known to do so: 'Fatal' wounds, Decay, Poison, the Dark Incantation Harm, Petrification, and Mage Bolts. Given this, one should check the fallen to be sure.
Some creatures are not covered by the Ritual either - young Were-kin for example. Only sentient creatures are protected, so be careful!
Remember though - do not use power unnecessarily! Let the Ritual of Peace do its job!
I would like to say a few thank you's to all who aided in the creation of this booklet. In particular -
It is possible to get lots of healing powers in Potion forms, along with lots of other interesting effects. The nice thing about potions is it takes no power or skills to use them. However you have no way to know what they do. So make sure you have someone reliable to ID the potion before you use it. You could always put a label on the bottle once you know.
Standard Potions. Potions can have a lot of different effects, to use them you just have to feed them to the person with the affliction.
Suspensions. These store a spell, when the user drinks the potion it allows the user to cast the spell in question, unfortunately normal armour restrictions apply so make sure your not too armoured to use the spell in question. Also note the skill of the original caster and the person using the spell don't effect the spell so advanced healing couldn't be used with a heal suspension.
Suspensions can't be used to store rites.
Scrolls can also be useful, They work in a similar way to a suspension, however you need to be able to invoke to use them and it takes 10 seconds to draw the power out of them. You can store rites in a scroll.
Some individuals have a stronger than normal connection to their ancestor. To some extent they have become an avatar of their ancestor. When looked at in detail it seems they have an ancestral pattern overlaying their normal pattern; this can make them hard to heal.
Updated Spring Moot 1110
Though there patterns have been in flux a lot recently I believe they are currently able to be healed by anything but a normal channelling heal. So yes Total Heal now works along with removing disease, decay and fatals.
Now I know how some of you spit when you hear about unliving, and I know they are not really part of how things are meant to be. However I'm sure we all know of a few people that need alternative healing that we would like to survive as they are just too useful in the fight against Entropy.
So what do we do? We're Healers, right; we can't get unliving back up. That is to some extent true; however there are things we can do. We spend a lot of time on the battlefield doing Triage, so it will normally be us that happens upon their unconscious bodies. If this is the case we may need to get them to someone that can fix them up. If you are aware that someone has alternative healing needs keep an eye on who is healing him, so you know who to bring bodies to.. If all else fails look for a member of the Dark College (normally wear a red sash with a tree on it), a Vampire or yell out for help (I would only do this if they are dying as unliving can be quite secretive about their condition).
These are normally quite easy to spot. They will normally be the ones charging into the fray with claws flying. Now you might think they are invincible, I mean they can heal themselves over time, this is not the case, and they definitely need our attentions if they go down.
Silver: If a Were is hit by a silver weapon they can be mortally wounded, even with a ritual of piece in place. Also they can not regenerate this damage as it causes them to be diseased, this needs to be removed so they can regenerate. It is best to stabilize a Were. Don't just leave them bleeding on the ground thinking they will get back up.
Pattern Effect: Disease, Fatals, Decays and Poisons all work normally on a Were, they also knock out their ability to regenerate. Cure these first of all like you would with a normal patient.
Ritual of Peace: Not all Were's are affected by the ritual of peace when in beast form, however once they have had the disease removed they can regenerate normally. I would still make sure they are stable before leaving them, as you have no way to know how long they have been diseased for.
Generally my list for healing a Were is